Official calls for East Sea ‘Code of Conduct’

HA NOI — Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh said a Code of Conduct would be a more effective tool to ensure peace, security and stability in the East Sea. Vinh said this in an interview after a meeting of senior officials from ASEAN in Ha Noi. The Deputy FM said that the East Sea was important in terms of geo-strategy, security and economics, adding that it provided strategic maritime routes for the region and the world. At the same time, there existed complicated disputes on territorial sovereignty. Therefore, the common goal was to prevent the disputes from escalating and to ensure peace, stability, security, maritime safety and freedom in the East Sea. To achieve this goal, Vinh said ASEAN and China had signed a very important document in 2002 – the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the East Sea. During the past 10 years, the declaration not only reflected joint commitments to peace, maritime security and safety, and trust building in the East Sea,but actually created a framework regulating conduct by all parties. Vinh said the most important thing in the declaration was that the parties must respect international laws, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. However, in the same period, the East Sea had witnessed many complicated developments threatening regional peace, security and stability. “It requires the region to build a tool (Code of Conduct) that can ensure the stated objective more effectively,” he said. “ASEAN leaders have been holding internal consultations… [Read full story]